Appliance for drying hair



Sept. 14, 1943. .1. H. KRUEGER APPLIANCE FOR DRYING HAIR Filed Jan. 5, 1942 Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPLIANCE FOR DRYING HAIR John H. Krueger, Tacoma, Wash.

Application January 5, 1942, Serial No. 425,663

2 Claims.

This invention relates to barber shop and beauty parlor appliances and especially to means for applying warmed air to the customer for the purpose of removing clippings from the head or for drying the hair.

The objects of my invention are to provide a simple air-warming apparatus for use in any or all of the booths or chairs in the establishment; to provide a valve in each of the several branch supply pipes whereby the flow of warm air therefrom may be controlled; to provide a quick means for attaching or detaching the appliance to the said valve body; to provide a mean of blowing warm air. through the hair without overheating the head; and to provide a flexible appliance for the head by which the warm air is conducted to and through the hair.

I attain these and other objects by the devices and arrangements illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a general diagrammatic illustration of my invention as applied in a barber shop, showing a hair drier attached to one of the several branch pipes; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the hair drier; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the head ring of the hair drier; Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a portion of the head ring illustrating the warm air vents therein; Fig. 5 is a cross-section thereof; Fig. 6 is a partial plan view thereof.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As seen in Fig. 1 the air is pumped into a pressure container 9 by any suitable means, diagrammatically represented by the rotary fan Ill. Suitable electric heating wires II, or other heat ing means, are mounted within the container 9 and are controlled by the usual four-Way switch I2 by means of which three different degrees of heat may be generated by the wires II. A buss pipe I3 leads from the container 9 and a series of separate branch pipes I4 lead from it to places convenient to the several chairs of the establishment.

Each of these branch pipes l4 terminates in a spring closed valve. This valve is contained in the casing l5 which is permanently attached to the free end of the pipe I 4. The valve itself does not form a part of this invention and is therefore not illustrated in detail, but is operated by a suitable operating handle ll. This handle I! is adapted to be manually pressed downward to open the valve and permit the warm air from the pipe M to pass therefrom. Suitable means may be provided to holdthe operati'ng valve open to any desired extent, if desired.

The valve casing l5 and the appliance to be attached thereto are provided with a suitable quick-acting coupling means, as shown in the drawing, whereby this connection may be quickly made or disengaged.

In Figs. 2-6 I have shown the form'of appliance which I prefer to use in drying hair after a shampoo, or otherwise.

Thi appliance consists of a base adapted to be fastened to the valve casing l5 by the above mentioned coupling means. This base 30 is of T- shape form so that the air from the valve casing l5 passes in both directions therein. A continuous flexible metallic tube 3| is fastened at its two ends to the two outlets of the T-shaped base 30 to form a head ring. The flexible metal tube 3| is of the usual construction, as shown in Fig. 4, being formed of a continuous strip of metal wound on itself, with packing 32 to prevent leakage, in the usual manner. I form vents 33 in the convolutions of the pipe 3|, these vents being all in the upper part of said head ring and at the edges of the bends of the strip forming the tube 3|, (Fig. 4) and are directed upward from the tube 3| so as to pass through the hair without impinging strongly on the scalp. A pad 34, made of any suitable material, such as sponge rubber, is secured to the inner side of the head ring 3| to cushion it on the head. Head rings of several sizes may be provided to suit the trade of the shop, each such head ring being flexible to fit the shape of the head.

A hood 35, made of canvas or other suitable material, is secured to the outer side of the head ring and extends upward therefrom, said hood having a free opening or outlet over the top of the users head to permit the free egress of the damp air from the head, thereby further reducing the heating effect on the head. The hood 35 is preferably of suiiicient stiffness to stand away from contact with the hair, or a light framing may be provided therein to hold it away therefrom.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a device connecting any chair in the shop to the supply of warm air; that any appliance can be connected to any of the branch pipes leading from the heating systems; that the temperature of the air may be easily controlled; that the quantity of air supplied to the appliance may be and the blasts of air therefrom are directed through the hair rather than on the scalp.

It will, of course, be understood that many variations may be made in the details of my apparatus, without departing from the spirit of my invention as outlined in the appended claims.

Having, therefore described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a hair drier, the combination of a flexible metal tubular ring adapted to surround the head and to conform to the shape of the head; a pad secured thereto and positioned between the headand the ring; means to supply warm air to the inside of said ring; vents in the upper side of said ring, adapted to permit streams of warm air to pass therefrom and to direct them upward through the hair but away from the scalp; and a vented hood secured to the outer edge of said ring and enveloping the hair to be dried;

2. In a hair drier, the combination of a flexible tubular metal ring adapted to surround the head at the base of the scalp and to conform to the shape ofthe head; a fabric hood secured to the oute'f'edge of said ring and extending upward therefrom and enveloping the hair to be dried; means supplying warm air to the inside of said ring; and upward-directed vents in said flexible ring, adapted to permit streams of warm air to pass from the ring upward through the hair and upward through said fabri hood.

JOHN H. KRUEGER. 

